As the economic downturn forces corporations and small businesses to shed jobs, one large employer still has the 'help wanted' sign out: the U.S. government.

Experts say the federal government's civilian¹ workforce² of 2.8 million is likely to expand significantly over the next several years as it gears up to stimulate³ the economy, rescue troubled banks, overhaul⁴ health care and pursue other elements of President Barack Obama's agenda.

With the economy in turmoil⁵, the stability of a government career now holds greater appeal.

And it doesn't hurt that the new boss, President Barack Obama, has encouraged citizens to consider public service -- a marked contrast to predecessor⁶ George W. Bush, who disparaged⁷ government.

"It's the same thing that happened 40-some-odd years ago when Kennedy came in," said Ross Harris, whose Federal Research Service helps applicants⁸ find government jobs.

Harris said he has seen the number of unique visitors to his website double over the past year as the recession has taken hold.

Government hiring has increased steadily⁹ over the past four years, from 79,000 in fiscal¹⁰ year 2004 to 99,000 in fiscal 2007, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

The conservative Heritage Foundation estimates that the $787 billion economic stimulus¹¹ package signed into law last month could create at least 100,000 more government jobs next year and 120,000 by 2012.

More jobs are likely to be found in Obama's $3.5 trillion budget, which envisions a greater government role in financial regulation, student loans, environmental regulation and care for war veterans.

当经济衰退迫使大小企业纷纷裁员之时，有一个“大雇主”仍然在招聘人员，那就是美国政府。

专家称，随着美国刺激经济、救援银行、改革医疗体系和奥巴马总统提出的其他政策措施的推进，未来几年美国联邦政府公务员队伍可能将在现有280万人的基础上大幅扩充。

在目前的经济动荡时期，相对稳定的政府职位显得更具吸引力。

此外，新任总统奥巴马鼓励国民投身公共服务，这与前任总统小布什不鼓励的态度形成鲜明对比。

为人们申请政府工作提供帮助的“联邦研究服务”的罗斯•哈里斯说：“这与40多年前肯尼迪上任时的情况差不多。”

哈里斯说，随着经济危机的加深，过去一年中其网站的访问者数量翻了一番。

据美国人事管理处介绍，政府招聘人数在过去四年中稳定增加，从2004财政年度的7.9万人增加至2007年度的9.9万人。

据美国传统基金会估计，于上月签署的7870亿美元的经济刺激方案有望于明年创造至少10万个政府职位，到2010年有望达到12万个。

此外，奥巴马3.5万亿美元的预算案也将催生更多的就业机会，按照该预算，政府将在金融监管、学生贷款、环境监控和老兵福利方面发挥更大的作用。

Vocabulary:

take hold:扎根